Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

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lawrence
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Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

The owner bought this vehicle second hand and after getting his new wheels and suspension sorted, the car was dropped off to be restored to a condition more befitting such a nice car, which in my humble opinion, must be such a nice daily driver for the petrolhead with a family.

As always I try work from dirty to clean to prevent having to re-clean something - not only is it inefficient but more so, it simply doubles the potential for damage to be inflicted in the surface you are cleaning (especially if it is the painted) - and so first up was the home of the Twin-turbo V6 3.0 TDI

Engine Bay
Equipment - Karcher K7, Mothers Fenderwell Brush, Daytona Large + Small, MF towels, Electric Blower
Clean - Carchem Citrus APC @ 1:5 though a foaming spray nozzle left to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed, blown dry
Dress - Autofinesse Dressel

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Fender wells
Equipment - Karcher K7, Mothers Fenderwell Brush, Daytona Large + Small
Clean - Pressure rinsed, Carchem Citrus APC @ 1:5 though a foaming spray nozzle left to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed
Dress - Autofinesse Dressel

Tyres
Equipment - Karcher K7, Mothers Tire Brush, Foam Tire Applicator, MF towel
Clean - Pressure rinsed, Carchem Citrus APC @ 1:5 though a foaming spray nozzle left to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed
Dress - 2 Coats of Carchem Tyre and Trim Gel, 12 hours apart

:puke: Your typical car wash silicone on the tires - a dust magnet and slinger of note - give me a water based dressing any day :thumbup:

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Wheels
Equipment - Karcher K7, Wheel Woolies, Autofinesse Hogs Hair Brushes, Lambswool Wash mitt, MF towels, Q-tips, Electric Blower
Clean - Pressure rinsed, Valet Pro Billberry @ 1:6 though a foaming spray nozzle left to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed
Tar Removal - Valet Pro Citrus Tar and Glue Remover
Iron Removal - Carchem Revolt applied liberally, allowed to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed
Protection - Pressure rinse, spray Gyeon Wetcoat, Pressure rinse, blow dry

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Wash
Equipment - Lambswool Wash Mitts, Karcher K7, Foam cannon, 2 Buckets each with grit guards, WW Drying Towels, Electric Blower
Foam - pressure rinse, Valet Pro ANSF via foam cannon, left to dwell, pressure rinsed
TFR - Valet Pro Citrus Prewash @ 1:8 via a pump sprayer, left to dwell pressure rinsed
Wash - Carchem Luxury Shampoo, pressure rinse
Dry - Flood rinse, ONR

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Decontamination
Equipment - MF towels, wash mitt, Karcher K7
Tar Removal - Valet Pro Citrus Tar and Glue Remover
Iron Removal - Carchem Revolt applied liberally, allowed to dwell, agitated, pressure rinsed
Remaining contaminants - Shield Heavy Duty Clay

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Paint
Equipment - Flex 3401, LC BP system, 5" / 6.5" Orange Hybrid Pads, CEM-DT156 PTG, MF towels
Correction - Menzerna 3-in-1
Protection - Soft99 Fusso

What's going on here? :crazy:

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A deep scratch that was improved upon but definitely not removed

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Some obligatory wax / polish residue from 'the previous guy' [thanks kind sir :mad:]

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Some of the defects inflicted through improper washing and drying methods.

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This etching from a bird bomb was very deep. The correction you see here was from Menzerna SHC300, a Lake Country Hybrid Blue Wool Pad on the Flex [followed by Menzerna 3-in-1 on a Lake Country Hybrid Orange pad) :cry:

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The correction over the rest of vehicle

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Exhaust Tips
Equipment - MF Towels, dedicated Daytona Jnr
Clean - Carchem Citrus APC @1:5, left to dwell, agitated, rinsed
Polish - Meguiars NXT All Metal Polish

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Exterior plastics
Equipment - Foam applicators, MF towels, Q-tips
Clean - Shield Heavy Duty Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner
Protect - Optimum Optiseal

Door and window rubbers
Equipment - Foam applicators, MF towels, Q-tips
Clean - Shield Heavy Duty Vinyl and rubber cleaner
Protect - Optimum Optiseal

Glass
Clean - Autoglym Fast Glass, MF towels

Badges & Emblems
Equipment - Q-tips, MF towels
Clean/polish/protect - Autofinesse Tripple

Interior Plastics
Equipment- Foam applicators, MF towels, Q-tips, Various brushes
Clean - Carchem APC @ 1:20
Protect - Optimum Optiseal

Interior Carpets
Equipment- Brushes, Flex VL35C Vacuum, MF towels,
Clean - Mothers Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner,

Leather Surfaces
Equipment- Foam applicators, MF towels, Brush
Clean - Carchem APC @ 1:20, various brushes, MF towels
Protect - Collinite 855

Some after shots

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Total time spent = 27 Hours

As always thanks for looking, and any question or comments are welcome.

:hi:
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vee4410
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by vee4410 »

Great work as always. Love the attention to detail. :hurray:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by mikhail117 »

mooi man!

Very nicely done there bud :hurray: :hurray:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by DINODENASH »

that came out superb !!!
nice man

now that would make the perfect family vehicle ...
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

Thanks guys :hug:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by N3mo »

nicely done

Damn I love these cars, they are such nice cars to drive and looks good as well...
lawrence
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

N3mo wrote:nicely done

Damn I love these cars, they are such nice cars to drive and looks good as well...
Thanks buddy :hug:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by Pik Sooter »

Epic work as always Lawrence!!!!

What an epic vehicle. Love the look of the BBS's and a little bit of low.
lawrence
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

Dirty Sooter wrote:Epic work as always Lawrence!!!!

What an epic vehicle. Love the look of the BBS's and a little bit of low.
Thanks bud - yeah it really is a hot car :drool:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by Tre »

good job as always...first time i saw a bird dropping beat you though..must have been a hectic load of ****
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by Uvy »

what a lovely colour..is that Platinum grey.
Awesome job LA
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lawrence
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

Tre wrote:good job as always...first time i saw a bird dropping beat you though..must have been a hectic load of ****
Thanks bud - I could have (probably) wet sanded it out but would have removed so much clear in the process that it would compromise the longevity of the paint - in other words, any future correction work in that area would then be seriously risky.

Knowing the owner doesn't plan on dumping the car any time soon, I had to take the logical approach and leave enough paint on the car for the long run, instead of chasing perfection now.... as time goes on and the car is re-polished, the severity of the etching will slowly reduce.

I personally think that sometimes detailers feel like they need to make things 'perfect' to 'show off their skills' and to satisfy the customers' want for perfection.... but....by setting realistic expectations upfront and having the car's best interests in mind, you learn when to stop and accept some damage in the short term for the long term good of the car.
Fanatix Boy wrote:what a lovely colour..is that Platinum grey.
Awesome job LA
Thanks UV

I am sure the title of this thread is MONSOON grey and not Platinum grey :moon: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by N3mo »

lawrence wrote: I personally think that sometimes detailers feel like they need to make things 'perfect' to 'show off their skills' and to satisfy the customers' want for perfection.... but....by setting realistic expectations upfront and having the car's best interests in mind, you learn when to stop and accept some damage in the short term for the long term good of the car.
I agree, nicely said :smile:
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by Uvy »

Fail on my side
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lawrence
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Re: Monsoon Grey Audi SQ5 - Detailed by Lawrence

Post by lawrence »

Fanatix Boy wrote:Fail on my side
:lol:

You need some coastal air bud - clear your head :moon:
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